Grateful Dead

September 8 - September 14, 2008

Welcome back to the Tapers Section. In this installment, we’re going to check out some music from this week in the Grateful Dead’s recorded history exclusively from 1972 and 1973, and we hope you don’t mind the years we’ve selected.

Our first selection is a nice little combination of songs from the Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California, on 9/10/72, featuring a classic from the era, He’s Gone>Truckin’. This would turn out to be the Grateful Dead’s final performance at the Palladium after the two magnificent shows in 1971 and these two in 1972. By all accounts from both tapes and eyewitnesses, all of these shows were a real blast to attend.

Next up, from Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY, on 9/8/73, we have the big second set sequence featuring He’s Gone>Truckin’>Not Fade Away>GDTRFB>Not Fade Away. It was a bit of an odd second set jam from that era, as it featured neither an Other One or an Eyes of the World, not to mention no Dark Star, but it’s excellent and inspired nonetheless. We hope you don’t mind two versions of He’s Gone into Truckin’ this week. We sure don’t.

From just a few nights later, at William and Mary College in Williamsburg, VA, on 9/12/73, we have the first set closing track as well as the first few songs from the second set, featuring Weather Report Suite, Around and Around, Eyes of the World>Stella Blue,
with Martin Fierro and Joe Ellis sitting in on horns at various points. These two shows at William and Mary included a very special guest in the audience: a young Bruce Hornsby checking out his first Grateful Dead concerts. Little did he, or the band, know what would transpire over the next twenty years.

Be sure to come by next week for more great tunes as we continue to explore the Grateful Dead’s recorded history. As always, we welcome and encourage your comments and questions.

This 9/12/73 show brings back an amusing memory of how the band at times ran a bit ahead of their fans. I saw a show a week after this in Syracuse, NY. I don't know, maybe I didn't get high enough or something, but I was quite disappointed. Specifically, I was actually angry that they would bring a SAXOPHONE player on. I guess I'm a little bit more broad-minded now, thanks in part to the Grateful Dead, but I've gotta say - that sax still doesn't do much for me. More Jerry and Keith, less sax!

If you think real hard and close your eyes...........for a split second you are there, hearing the boys, feeing the crowd........ I transform myself to that moment it time.......lost in the music.......but it only last for a split second............but I love it!!!

The 9/8/73 show would have been Pigpen's 28th birthday (today would be his 63rd), and he had been dead for six months at this point. This version of He's Gone is definitely dedicated to Pig, it has that very special feel to it, especially in the closing stretch. Same with the NFA medley. The whole 9/8/73 show is actually a Pigpen kind of show: very down to earth and soulful, less spacy--although the Eyes and WRS are very respectably jammed out.

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